Force cup



Aug. 22, 1967 P. P. LACEY ETAL FORCE CUP Filed March 4, 1965 INVENTORfi24 FHAAC'IY, 9.6. Wail/(497% A .M. Z R01 KA 1:4? ATTORNEYJ United StatesPatent 3,336,604 FORCE CUP Philip P. Lacey, David C. Walker, andAlexander M. Zrolka, Charlotte, N.C., assignors to Radiator SpecialtyCompany, Charlotte, N.C.

Filed Mar. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 437,161 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-255) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A force cup having a lower reduced telescoping collar andhaving internal means for forcing fluid under pressure into a drain toremove an obstruction.

This invention relates to force producing and applying devices employedin connection with the care and maintenance of installations andapparatus of various kinds employed to create and exert a pushing or apulling force where pressure is needed for various purposes.

The invention relates particularly to force cups, plungers, or otherplumbing accessories having cup portions or bodies of rubber or otherflexible substance with handles attached thereto by means of which theforce cups can be operated to project water or other fluid in onedirection under compression, or can be operated to suck or draw water orother fluid in the opposite direction, and thus by being able to impartpushing and pulling motion, for example, to a clogged water line, todislodge obstruction and restore flow therethrough.

Force cups of many kinds have been produced of varying degrees ofusefulness, efiiciency, satisfaction and quality. Such devices have beensubject to criticism for various reasons including their failure to seatproperly, because of insufiicient air volume and the small amount ofthrust they could exert, because they would break off center, and forthe reason that the focus of the pressure or force exerted was above thecenter of the force cup and required a greater amount of etfort tooperate and for other reasons.

It is an object of the invention to provide a force cup of simple,inexpensive and durable construction, of a character to beself-centering and to seat properly, as well as a force cup ofsuflicient size to provide adequate air volume regardless of Whetherpositive or negative pressure is exerted, in which the focus of theforce or power exerted will be below the middle of the force cup so thatit will require less power or pressure to operate, and which force isexerted axially and equally on all sides so that the force cup willbreak straight downwardly and not ofl. center.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingin which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating one application of the inventionviewed from the top of the same;

FIG. 2, a perspective of the force cup of FIG. 1 viewed from the bottom;

FIG. 3, a vertical section;

FIG. 4, a vertical section through a trap type flush bowl with a forcecup illustrated in elevation applied thereto; and,

FIG. 5, a vertical section illustrating the force cup applied to aconventional drain.

Briefly stated the force cup of the present invention is a hollowflexible body having a generally cylindrical side wall, a closed roundedtop, and an open bottom. The rounded top has a substantially flatcentral portion of greater thickness which increases the strength anddecreases the flexibility of the top and provides a greater air space,and which cup when force is applied down- 3,336,604 Patented Aug. 22,1967 joined by a curved connection to a cylindrical sleeve or skirtwhich may be disposed selectively upwardly within said hollow body whenthe device is applied to a flat surface or extended downwardly andoutwardly of the hollow body when applied to a device having an openinginto which said sleeve can be fitted. The flange and the side wallstructure of the hollow body are connected by an annular curved wall andaround the exterior of the flange at the bottom of the side wall isprovided an enlarged combination seating and strengthening annular ribwhich extends all the way around the lower end of the hollow flexiblebody and which is flattened against the surface to which it is applied.

With continued reference to the drawing the force cup of the presentinvention is composed of a hollow flexible body 10 of rubber or othersuitable material. The body may have a generally cylindrical side wall11, a closed rounded top 12, and an open bottom 13. By providing agenerally cylindrical body a greater volume of air can be accommodatedwithin such body and consequently greater force can be applied.

The rounded top has a central portion 14 of greater thickness than thatof the side Wall 11 which serves to increase the strength of suchportion of the top, as well as to decrease the flexility thereof. Thuswhen force is applied downwardly 0n the central portion of the top, agreater amount of flexing will occur in the thinner wall portion 12 andconsequently such central portion may readily be moved downwardly whileit remains in a generally horizontal position at right angles to theaxis of the flexible body.

The top is provided with a central depending portion 15 with a closedbottom 16 and an upwardly and outwardly opening cavity 17 havinginternal threads 18 for engagement with external threads 19 of anoperating post or handle 20. The space within the flexible body 10 is ofsuflicient size, that is, diameter and height, that when the operatinghandle 20 is pushed downwardly its lower end will be against the endwall 16 of the depending portion 15, with such end wall in asubstantially lower position than the vertical center of the body, asillustrated in FIG. 5, thus obviating any tendency for the cup or bodyto break off center. In other words, the body is generally cylindricalinstead of inverted cone-shaped like prior devices.

The lower end of the side wall 11 of the body has connected thereto agenerally horizontal flange 21 with a curved connection 22 to acylindrical skirt or sleeve 23, which may be disposed in outwarddepending position, as illustrated by dot and dash lines in FIG. 3, andin full lines in FIG. 4, or it may be located in upright position asillustrated by solid lines in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5. The position of theskirt depends upon the type of construction to which the device isapplied. When used, for example, in connection with a commode, such asthat of FIG. 4, the skirt 23 will be in a depending position, but whenused on a flat wall, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the skirt 23 will be inan upright position.

For durability, strength and assistance to seating, an annular rib orenlargement 24 may be provided around the lower outer edge or rim of thehollow flexible body, such rib serving when applied to a commode 25 ofthe character indicated in FIG. 4 to be flattened against the wall whichit contacts, and when the device is applied to a sink or otherhorizontal member 26 to which there is a drain 27, an annular enlargedarea of contact will be obtained.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a novel improved force cupor plunger is provided and it will be obvious to one skilled in the artthat various changes may be made in the invention without departing fromthe spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limitedby that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in thespecification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A force cup comprising a hollow generally cylindrical resilientlyflexible body portion of generally uniform wall thickness with asubstantially flat wall closing end and having a portion coaxiallydisposed at right angles to said end and of a thickness materiallygreater than said cylindrical body portion, said substantially flat wallclosing end being of a diameter at least one-half that of the diameterof said cylindrical body portion, said substitute fiat wall closing endbeing integrally connected to said cylindrical body portion by anannular curved wall, said substantially flat wall closing end includingcup-shaped outwardly opening cavity means integral therewith anddisposed axially thereof within said cylindrical body portion, saidcup-shaped cavity means providing means for mounting and securing aforce applying member therein, a transversely extending wall portionintegral with the opposite end of said cylindrical body portion having athickness approximately equal to that of said substantially fiat wallclosing end portion and disposed generally parallel thereto, saidtransversely extending wall portion having a resiliently flexiblecentering and guiding open skirt portion of reduced thickness integraltherewith and disposed coaxially of said cylindrical body portion, saidopen centering skirt portion being selectively positionable inwardly andoutwardly of said cylindrical body portion relative to said transverselyextending wall portion whereby the interconnecting wall therebetweenforms a correspondingly inwardly or outwardly arcuately curved annularwall portion providing for complementary seating and sealing contactwith drain openings, said wall to diameter ratio of said cylindricalbody portion maintaining axial defraction of said cylindrical bodyportion under externally applied force to said force applying member,said relative size and arrangement of the component parts of the forcecup providing maximum effective utilization of an applied force todeform the force cup when used for the purpose intended.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which the free end of said centeringskirt portion when selectively positioned within said cylindrical bodyportion is normally spaced from said cavity means at the opposite endthereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,526,750 10/1950 Hollandsworth4-255 3,021,532 2/1962 Gross 4-255 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

B. KILE, Assistant Examiner.

1. A FORCE CUP COMPRISING A HOLLOW GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL RESILIENTLYFLEXIBLE BODY PORTION OF GENERALLY UNIFORM WALL THICKNESS WITH ASUBSTANTIALLY FLAT WALL CLOSING END AND HAVING A PORTION COAXIALLYDISPOSED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID END AND OF A THICKNESS MATERIALLYGREATER THAN SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION, SAID SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT WALLCLOSING END BEING OF A DIAMETER AT LEAST ONE-HALF THAT OF THE DIAMETEROF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION, SAID SUBSTITUTE FLAT WALL CLOSING ENDBEING INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TO SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION BY ANANNULAR CURVED WALL, SAID SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT WALL CLOSING END INCLUDINGCUP-SHAPED OUTWARDLY OPENING CAVITY MEANS INTEGRAL THEREWITH ANDDISPOSED AXIALLY THEREOF WITHIN SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION, SAIDCUP-SHAPED CAVITY MEANS PROVIDING MEANS FOR MOUNTING AND SECURING AFORCE APPLYING MEMBER THEREIN, A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING WALL PORTIONINTEGRAL WITH THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION HAVING ATHICKNESS APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THAT OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT WALLCLOSING END PORTION AND DISPOSED GENERALLY PARALLEL THERETO, SAIDTRANSVERSELY EXTENDING WALL PORTION HAVING A RESILIENTLY FLEXIBLECENTERING AND GUIDING OPEN SKIRT PORTION OF REDUCED THICKNESS INTEGRALTHEREWITH AND DISPOSED COAXIALLY OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION, SAIDOPEN CENTERING SKIRT PORTION BEING SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE INWARDLY ANDOUTWARDLY OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION RELATIVE TO SAID TRANSVERSELYEXTENDING WALL PORTION WHEREBY THE INTERCONNECTING WALL THEREBETWEENFORMS A CORRESPONDINGLY INWARDLY OR OUTWARDLY ARCUATELY CURVED ANNULARWALL PORTION PROVIDING FOR COMPLEMENTARY SEATING AND SEALING CONTACTWITH DRAIN OPENINGS, SAID WALL TO DIAMETER RATIO OF SAID CYLINDRICALBODY PORTION MAINTAINING AXIAL DEFRACTION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODYPORTION UNDER EXTERNALLY APPLIED FORCE TO SAID FORCE APPLYING MEMBER,SAID RELATIVE SIZE AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE COMPONENT PARTS OF THE FORCECUP PROVIDING MAXIMUM EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF AN APPLIED FORCE TODEFORM THE FORCE CUP WHEN USED FOR THE PURPOSE INTENDED.